We are still running around like crazies.  Ryan is still selling a bin of melons here or there, and so we pick from time to time, and most of our time lately, has been spent just cleaning things up.  We have been stacking boxes and burning trash.  Things are looking more clean and organized, and the melons are still growing.  But, our market is pretty much gone.  That's ok...we lost enough money on melons for the year.
     With that being said, we have had football games, and volleyball games, and Wamers performances to keep us busy.  Rooshkie has also completed a course in volleyball, and her tournament was last weekend.  She has also thrown herself into the drill team, and they nominated her as "spirit leader".  I am not sure what the spirit leader does, but whatever it is, Rooshkie will give it 110%, which is just how she does everything.  She is very much like her Dad in that aspect.  If there is a contest of some sort, she is going to join, and try to win.  She does everything with all she's got.  One of her best friends is moving, and I know she is going to be way sad when that time comes.  In the meantime, she has kept busy, and some kid has asked her to wear his football jersey for homecoming.  I am not even quite sure what this means...it must be a Virgin Valley thing.  When I went to school, a guy might ask a special girl to wear his Letterman's jacket, but I realize that down here, the scorching sun makes it too hot for Letterman's jackets.  Maybe this jersey thing is somewhat similar...all I know is that she's too little, and she ought to go and play with her Polly Pocket set or something.
     Oak has had a couple of football games.  He absolutely loves to play.  He is learning the rules of the game and is extremely aggressive and competitive.  He and I have been practicing passes, and he has gotten pretty good at catching long ones.  Ryan has practiced with him too.  Anyhow, I was kind of disappointed last week, when he dropped a long pass.  The next time one was thrown to him, however, he caught it, and his flags fell off....I am not even sure how this happened, but yeah, we need to tie them on better.  After that, he got all kinds of aggressive.  He went after every kid that got the ball with an extreme vigor.  One little girl was open, and her coach was throwing her a pass....before it even landed in her arms, Oak had ripped her flags off.  I think in regular football, it would be considered a pass interference, but in flag, they just considered her tackled...before she even caught the ball.  And she did catch it.  Poor gal.  Anyhow...he loves the game.  He even invited a whole bunch of people to his last game.  His bus driver even showed up, and she casually gave me a Gatorade to give him after the game.   One thing about it, you just cannot beat the people in this valley.  I have come to love them.
     Sage has had a ton of home games lately.  I really enjoy watching her play, and she has come so far from our sweaty and hot practices in the summer sun.  Seriously, she has learned a ton.  However, lately, for one reason or another, I have had to bring all of the kids and that has been a regular disaster.  DISASTER!!!!  Oak is bored and awful.  There are a bunch of bucket seats at the top of the bleachers that are supposed to be reserved for school boosters and contributors.  At a freshman game, they are up for grabs though, and Oak and Moroni feel the need to walk around and slam them up and slam them down...as loudly, and next to elderly people if possible.  Then they run around on the bleachers, banging and stomping as they go.  I try to find them a section that is largely unoccupied if I possibly can, but they refuse to limit themselves to an area where there is no one to notice their loud ways.  Moroni went running down the bleachers last game and laughing and stomping out the door.  This forced me to run after him, and I clomped into a garbage can on the way down the stairs, which tumbled down the stairs and scattered trash all over the court at our last game.  Ryan also came to that game, and yeah, I'm sorry, but his heart and blood pressure cannot take the pressure.  He kept muttering and complaining about a particular player, who was having an off day that day.  Yeah, she messed up a lot, and he was going  nuts that the coach had not pulled her out.  I was so concerned about her parents hearing his mutterings, and combine that with Mo slamming chairs around, I had a hard time watching my Saggers play.  She did well though...and the coach finally did pull the struggling player out.  I swore off taking any of the little kids with me, but again today...a game, and Oak with a football game after it, and no time and extra gas money to run home...they will all have to come to the game again.  I am not looking forward to it.
     Another thing, was at the last game...I did not notice, but Mo had dressed himself in a neon yellow stained shirt, blue and white short shorts ( they did not come low enough to hang down under the shirt)  and he must have smashed up Doritos somewhere and knelt in their cheesiness.  He had Dorito knees...or Weedo knees according to him.  Mo has also been slathering on the deodorant lately.  He usually asks which kind is the boy kind, and then he generously applies some under his little arms.  The other day, Rooshkie was in primping, and he came in to use some deodorant.  He slathered her legs with the stuff, just for good measure.  Hey, at least he is smelling fresh!
     We were also somewhere with a large congregation of people, when Mo went to run off...he almost cannot resist doing this.  Jazz grabbed him by the waist, but he began to yell that she was choking him.  Ummm I don't think so.  He was also all upset the other day, because Jazz fixed his pancake with star swirl patterns with the syrup...and she cut it like a pizza.  He was not okay with this.  He bawled and howled, and Jazz wondered how to fix it.  I kept telling her to ignore the nonsense, which she did, and he finally ate the pancake with all of its short comings.  Seriously...when will this three year old stuff end?